The Church and Big Society

The Archbishop of Canterbury has been sounding off again about the Big Society and the input of faith groups to this meaningless concept - meaningless in that it can mean anything. A report on his musings can be found here.

In Kent there existed an organisation by the name of Church in Society.  My avid reader will recall that the organisation was closed down by the Dioceses of Canterbury and Rochester last year.  The new Bishop of Rochester has an interest in social justice matters.

I said at the time Church in Society was dissolved that it was short-sighted, indeed a disgrace. Anglican chickens are coming home to roost.

The Bishop of Leicester has had some pertinent comments to make about the role of the church in the Big Society. This can be found here

All this has to be set in the context of the Big Society concept of moving State activities which are, however tenuously, under democratic control to voluntary organisations which are not .  A further issue is the extent to which voluntary organisations 'chase the funding' so becoming agents of the State in thrall to commissioners of services.